The Greater Meaning Behind the Moment Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Walked Down the Aisle

This morning, Meghan Markle, the newly christened Duchess of Sussex, stepped into St. George’s Chapel wearing a stunning white dress by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. She was trailed by ten page boys and bridesmaids—including Prince George and Princess Charlotte—and in her hand she held a small, white bouquet of flowers. But she didn’t have anyone on her arm.

In the days leading up to her wedding, a tabloid storm broke out about whether or not her father, Thomas Markle, would walk her down the aisle. There was so much confusion that Kensington Palace had to release two statements: one, that Thomas Markle would not be attending, and two, that Prince Charles would walk her down the Quire.

Key word was “Quire”—not the whole aisle. Which means on Saturday morning, Meghan Markle did the first part of her journey into the church alone.

Anyone in this modern day and age knows that the tradition of a father walking his daughter down the aisle is fraught. Some fathers are no longer in the picture; some relationships are complicated; some have more than one paternal figure in their lives. And the idea of “giving away” a daughter is perhaps the most outdated tradition of them all.

There’s power in the fact that, in the face of all the publicity and drama, Markle decided that the only person she needed to walk down the aisle was herself.

It made for a striking image: Markle, in a fairy-tale gown, confident and overjoyed, walking toward the man of her dreams. She was giving herself away. Her mother, Doria Ragland, seemed emotional as she looked on.

Her friend Serena Williams revealed that, not so long ago, she was in the same position. An hour before her wedding, her father called and told her that he couldn’t handle the pressure of walking her down the aisle. She was fine with his decision. “Maybe a lot of daughters wouldn’t react the same way, but I know the struggles he’s had these last few years,” she said. “If he doesn’t want to be up there in front of a lot of people, I completely understand.”

Prince Charles did join Markle halfway, a symbolic gesture of how she’s been accepted into the royal family. (It’s not the first time a non-blood relative has accompanied a royal bride: Princess Margaret, for example, was walked down the aisle by Prince Philip, as her father had passed away.)

But it became clear to everyone watching that maybe his accompaniment wasn’t all that necessary in the first place. As Markle walked down the aisle, she looked completely confident to go it alone. Many outlets have heralded her walk as a feminist statement. It also showed that, even in the British royal family, not all traditions need to be upheld.